# Loyality oath for President Bush **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462 "2004-10-27T16:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/1 "2004-10-27T16:10:23Z")
I haven’t heard much about it lately, but I remember hearing that if you wanted to see Bush speak on the campaign trail, you had to sign a loyality oath. Why is that ? Does that mean you have to vote for George ? What if you signed it a while ago, but changed your mind ? Could you get in trouble ? Is it possible that these oaths could be used in case of a dispute to the winner ? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/2 "2004-10-27T16:31:11Z")
So far as I recall, use of the oath was reported in Cheney’s New Mexico appearances. It said: > [@](#): > > I, (full name) … do herby (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States." It later adds that, "In signing the above endorsement you are consenting to use and release of your name by Bush-Cheney as an endorser of President Bush. Note there is no promise regarding a person’s vote. There’s no way to enforce such a promise anyway, seeing as that votes are secret. I’m not sure on the precise authorities in this area, but I’m pretty sure it would be illegal to try to force a person to adhere to such a promise to vote anyway. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/3 "2004-10-27T16:51:30Z")
_Loyality_? Is this another of Bush’s fumbling malapropisms (if I can call it that), or yours alone? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/4 "2004-10-27T16:55:13Z")
Quite frankly, **acsenray** ’s cite sounds more like a consent/release thing than an oath. It sounds like they just want the person in question to not raise a ruckus if their image, captured at the campaign event in question, appears in some Bush ad down the line. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/5 "2004-10-27T16:56:21Z")
> [@acsenray](#): > > I, (full name) … do **herby** (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States." I parse that as “Being under the influence of wacky tobacky, I endorse George W. Bush [yadda yadda yadda]”. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/6 "2004-10-27T20:21:23Z")
[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31019-2004Jul31.html](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31019-2004Jul31.html) > [@](#): > > The Albuquerque Journal reported on Friday that people seeking tickets to the Cheney event who could not be identified as GOP partisans – contributors or volunteers – were told they could not receive tickets unless they signed an endorsement form saying “I, (full name) . . . do herby (sic) endorse George W. Bush for reelection of the United States.” The form warns that signers “are consenting to use and release of your name by Bush-Cheney as an endorser of President Bush.” > > The paper quoted a Republican official saying a “Democrat operative group” was trying to infiltrate the limited-seating event… Calling that a “loyalty oath” is like calling me a dead ringer for Tom Cruise. Of course, it does pay leftists the compliment of assuming they wouldn’t sign a document stating something false about themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/7 "2004-10-27T23:14:16Z")
I posted a thread about this yesterday, but didn’t get much of a response, so I’ll ask again: have any scans or similar reproductions of these documents turned up online? Also, how widespread is their use? I repeatedly hear on this board that Bush is completely shielded from criticism; are these oaths being used at _every_ public appearance? ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/8 "2004-10-28T07:26:00Z")
It was used at the Cheney event in Albuquerque. I don’t know if it’s used at other events, but most of Bush’s campaign appearances _have_ featured various forms of audience screening – if you’re wearing a pro-Kerry button or shirt, or even just a [pro-civil rights T-shirt,](http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1015-06.htm) they don’t want you near their rally. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/9 "2004-10-28T14:50:10Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > It sounds like they just want the person in question to not raise a ruckus if their image, captured at the campaign event in question, appears in some Bush ad down the line. No. That could be done with a form that says “I consent to allow my image to be used…” This form specifically allows the campaign to claim you’ve _endorsed_ Bush, which would not only be embarassing, but would prevent many people (me, for instance) from signing. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/10 "2004-10-28T16:53:13Z")
Cliffy, you’re right that that would probably be necessary if the person in question demanded payment for appearing in the commercial. My point is they don’t want anyone later saying “Using my image in that pro-Bush commercial gave people the mistaken impression that I’m for Bush.” I find it unlikely that someone who’s pro-Bush would even bat an eye about having his or her image in a pro-Bush commercial. On the other hand, someone who is anti-Bush would be certain to raise hell about appearing in a pro-Bush commercial…and would probably go straight to the press with their story rather than quietly and politely ask the RNC to not show his or her face in the ad. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/11 "2004-10-28T19:45:37Z")
And yet, oddly enough, pro-Bush folks can attend John Kerry rallies without any such problems whatsoever… ---
**Author:** ![Catalyst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e47774/32.png) [@Catalyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catalyst)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/12 "2004-10-28T21:01:53Z")
Is there any site or group documenting what screening methods are being used and at what events? If I’m going to say that Bush is using loyalty oaths or their equivalent, I want to know that it’s true, especially before implying that it’s standard operating procedure. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/13 "2004-10-28T21:10:32Z")
_The Progressive_ magazine keeps track of this kind of thing among its “McCarthyism Watch” items – [http://www.progressive.org/mcwatch03/mcwatch03.html](http://www.progressive.org/mcwatch03/mcwatch03.html) ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/14 "2004-10-28T22:24:33Z")
> [@Catalyst](#): > > Is there any site or group documenting what screening methods are being used and at what events? If I’m going to say that Bush is using loyalty oaths or their equivalent, I want to know that it’s true, especially before implying that it’s standard operating procedure. [Here’s one story](http://www.bend.com/news/ar_view%5E3Far_id%5E3D18712.htm) of what the Bush campaign won’t put up with. Apparently, supporting civil rights is verbot…, er, forbidden. ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/15 "2004-10-28T22:35:27Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > It was used at the Cheney event in Albuquerque. I don’t know if it’s used at other events, but most of Bush’s campaign appearances _have_ featured various forms of audience screening – if you’re wearing a pro-Kerry button or shirt, or even just a [pro-civil rights T-shirt,](http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1015-06.htm) they don’t want you near their rally. Quote from your link: > [@](#): > > The women said they were angered by reports of peaceful protesters being thrown out of previous Bush-Cheney events. They said they chose the phrase, “Protect Our Civil Liberties,” because it was unconfrontational. Idiots. Clearly, these shirts are worded in the form of a demand. That’s about as “confrontational” as you can get. Perhaps if the shirts had said ‘O please, Great and Glorious Leader, protect our civil liberties if you deem them worthy of protection’, they wouldn’t have been thrown out on their commie pinko pro-terrorist butts. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2004, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/16 "2004-10-28T22:54:29Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > It was used at the Cheney event in Albuquerque. I don’t know if it’s used at other events, but most of Bush’s campaign appearances _have_ featured various forms of audience screening – if you’re wearing a pro-Kerry button or shirt, or even just a [pro-civil rights T-shirt,](http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1015-06.htm) they don’t want you near their rally. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/loyality-oath-for-president-bush/271462/17 "2004-10-29T06:06:45Z")
As long as we’re on the topic, [here’s a piece](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10047-2004Aug18.html) from August about a guy who attended a Bush rally with a pro-Kerry shirt, and a Kerry rally with a pro-Bush shirt, in the same day. > [@](#): > > Result: Bush people make the subject remove his shirt, then give him the boot. The Kerry people don’t make a peep.